Release Notes for Cisco Server Configuration Utility, Release 1.0

First Published Date: August 1, 2010

Part Number: OL-23050-01

This document describes the new features, system requirements, and known behaviors for UCS-SCU Release 1.0, as well as any related firmware or drivers. Use this document in conjunction with the documents listed in the "Related Documentation" section.

Note We sometimes update the documentation after original publication. Therefore, you should also review the documentation on Cisco.com for any updates.

Contents

Introduction

The Cisco UCS-SCU (Server Configuration Utility) is a web-based application that helps you manage server firmware updates and configuration, RAID configuration, and unattended operating system installation. The utility helps you reduce the overall time required to set up your servers.

USC-SCU is intended for system administrators responsible for upgrading, troubleshooting, and configuring the configuration utility. As a system administrator, you can use it to update a server with the most recent system software, configure the BIOS boot order, configure a RAID volume on attached hard drives, and install an operating system.

UCS-SCU reduces the complexity and time associated with setting up Cisco servers. Server deployment time is often cut by an hour or more per system. The wizard locates and retrieves the most recent drivers, BIOS, and firmware updates. It guides you through questions to help quickly configure the server through automatic recognition of server hardware, with minimal reboots and an automated unattended operating system installation.

With UCS-SCU you can perform the following:

•Update your server with the most recent system software. You can get updates from a set URL, a network drive, or removable media. The firmware components that can be updated are: BIOS and BMC.

•Install operating systems in a fully unattended mode. The most recent drivers for all onboard components are added from the Tools and Drivers CD or from other supported locations during the operating system installation.

UCS-SCU provides an easy to use, wizard style interface to perform various tasks. It is packaged onto a single CD which contains its own operating system (Linux), a GUI, and supporting files for setup and deployment. The utility can be booted off a CD (physical or vMedia) and runs completely in a RAMDISK.

Hardware Features

Release 1.0 introduces the following support:

•C200-M1 and C200-M2

•C210-M1 and C210-M2

•C250-M1 and C250-M2

•C460-M1

Firmware Files

The UCS-SCU release 1.0 software files can be found by navigating to the required location from the following link:

System Requirements

The following are the minimum requirements for UCS-SCU:

CD-ROM Drive—A USB, IDE, or SATA CD/DVD-ROM drive is required to be able to boot and run the UCS-SCU. The CD/DVD-ROM drive is a prerequisite for operating system installation. You can also use the vKVM to boot UCS-SCU.

Resolved Caveats

SCU

•SCU displays the error "Internal error - Server will restart in 10 seconds". There is no workaround for this issue. (CSCth67793)

•Drivers for devices that don't fit in one screen of SCU drivers listing page not getting installed. If there is more than one screen of drivers displayed in SCU, you need to scroll down and select the drivers that did not fit in the first screen by clicking on the tick mark, one at a time. You will need to do this even if the checkbox shows a tick mark. If the tick mark gets cleared when you click on the check box, click again, so that it is enabled again. If you don't use this workaround, in case there are more than 12 drivers (taking more than one screen in the SCU display of driver versions and devices), some drivers after the twelfth driver may not get installed during OS installation. (CSCtj59197)

•When you select the configure server option, select the checkbox for BIOS, and click Next, you will get an error message - "Internal error: unable to proceed." If you boot SCU on C200 M1 or C210 M1 server with the ICH10R controller set as SW RAID mode or AHCI mode, the boot order configuration will not function from SCU. In this scenario, the boot controller may or may not be the ICH10R. The workaround is to Press F2 to enter the BIOS settings during post and change the boot order from BIOS. (CSCti07517)

•The SCU 1.0 image on http://www.cisco.com/ is listed as 1.0(1) and the name of the file is ucs-cxxx-scu-1.0.1.iso. However, when booted, this image's splash screen (both in text and graphic) reports the version number as 1.0.0. In the user interface, from Help --> About, the version is reported as 1.0.0. There is no workaround for this issue. (CSCti29847)

•SCU UI turns very slow when the help page in the Configure Server page is opened. Closing the help file and navigating away from the "Configure Server" page will resolve this issue. (CSCth80311)

OS Install

•Windows 2008 R2 installation fails on SD2 with the ICH10R contoller. For installation to proceed eject and reload the Windows DVD. Keyboard or mouse input is not required. (CSCtg72843)

•The error "No Hard disks are Deteced" appears when you attempt to perform OS installation. OS install fails if the size of the RAID volume on which the OS is to be installed is greater than 2 TB. There is no workaround in UCS SCU 1.0 except for creating RAID volumes lesser than 2 TB. The UCS SCU 1.0 underlying Linux kernel supports only 2 TB partitions. (CSCti20315)

•Driver or system update download from cisco.com fails with a "download failed" error. The workaround is to enter the right credential, IP address and port number of the proxy server. (CSCth87463)

RAID

•SCU does not have an option to create RAID 10, 60, and so on. To create nested RAID, use the RAID controller web user interface and create it during the post. However, you will be allowed to perform OS installation on a pre-created nested RAID from SCU. (CSCtg19671)

USB Drive

•SCU doesn't detect USB drive. Format the USB drive using fat 32 file system and perform a USB reset from virtual media to try to detect it once again. If the USB drive still doesn't get detected, change it. (CSCtg73359)

Open Caveats

OS Install

Workaround If the license key is MAK/KMS (volume licenses), then you can skip entering the license key in the SCU UI. After installation completes and after logging in to the installed server, Windows will prompt for activation. You can use the MAK/KMS key at this time. (CSCti09742)

BIOS/CIMC

Symptom Virtual console goes blank during CIMC update from SCU.

Workaround Wait till the BIOS/CIMC update completes and then reboot the machine to get the virtual console performance back. (CSCth59872)

RAID

Symptom ICH10R is displayed as LSI Embedded megaraid in SCU.

Workaround This is just a representation issue. None of the features are disturbed due to this. (CSCtf53566)

Related Documentation

For configuration information for this release, please refer to the following:

Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request

For information on obtaining documentation, submitting a service request, and gathering additional information, see the monthly What's New in Cisco Product Documentation, which also lists all new and revised Cisco technical documentation, at:

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